Arts & Crafts Coffee Table w/Greene & Greene inspirations

[Randy Bonella]

I haven't posted in a long while but I Just delivered my first commissioned heirloom piece of furniture. My client was thrilled with the results and I couldn't be happier with the outcome and her response.

My client collected the tiles from trips that she has taken with her family over the years. The two round ones are pictures of their cabin in the Sierra's on ceramic coasters. She asked me more than a year ago if I could build a table for her and put the tiles on it. I said sure, thinking it would be a simple table with grouted top surface for the tiles. Well fast forward a year when my real job slowed to where I could do this, I meet with her to get started and she indicates that she wants an heirloom piece of furniture that she can pass along to her kids, yikes, no pressure there She pretty much left it up to me for the design.

The coffee table is an arts and crafts style with some Greene & Greene inspirations. The primary wood is cherry. I used black walnut for the accents: pins, keys and inlays. The grid is curly maple. All joints are draw-bored mortise and tenon. The top is a double layer design with a floating plywood base to support the tiles and move a little with humidity changes. I used silicon adhesive to set the tiles also for expansion and contraction Enjoy p.s. the video was taken in my living room and I told my wife that if my client didn't want it we could keep it. Matches our furniture
IMG_1815.jpg

[Bill McDermott]

Nice work. Great design (although not a fan of the bright tiles - I understand why she wants them and that they are special to her). Your work looks really tight.
Beautiful table in a room full of beautiful, handmade furniture. Sweet.
I appreciate the short video as a great way to really see the piece.
Thanks for sharing.

[Randy Bonella]

Nice work. Great design (although not a fan of the bright tiles - I understand why she wants them and that they are special to her). Your work looks really tight.
Beautiful table in a room full of beautiful, handmade furniture. Sweet.
I appreciate the short video as a great way to really see the piece.
Thanks for sharing.

The tiles were tricky to work with. Different sizes and thicknesses. Tried to balance the color across the top so as to not create one one hot spot. Also decided on doing an arts and crafts style because I think anything else just wouldn't go unless it was modern, which I'm not a big fan of in general. Thanks for the kind words.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Very nice, Randy, and I'm glad your client is pleased. Is there anything over the tiles (such as glass) ? Are all the tiles ceramic ?

[Lee Schierer]

Very nice table. The tile top is special. I like how you mounted the tiles.

[glenn bradley]

Nice custom piece for her to display her tiles in a useful and every-day sort of way. Very cool.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Nicely done Sir!

[Randy Bonella]

Very nice, Randy, and I'm glad your client is pleased. Is there anything over the tiles (such as glass) ? Are all the tiles ceramic ?

At the moment no, nothing over the tiles to protect them. Most of the tiles are 1/4" or better ceramic and can take quite a beating but not all. The specific problem is that if something spilled on the tabletop it would be exceptionally difficult to clean. Because of that she did decide to put glass over it, IMO is a smart thing to do and I'll get it for her.

[Yonak Hawkins]

... if something spilled on the tabletop it would be exceptionally difficult to clean.

Yes. This is what I was thinking .. this and general dirt and dust getting into the crevices, plus providing a level surface for drinks, etc.